Carnival's $85M DR Facility to Begin Receiving Guests in October
Carnival Corporation today announced it will begin welcoming guests at its new $85 million Amber Cove port in the Dominican Republic beginning in October 2015.
The facility, which represents the largest cruise industry investment ever made in the Dominican Republic, is expected to host more than 250,000 passengers in its first year of operation. The port facility will allow cruise ships to make stops along the Dominican Republic's Amber Coast, a northern coastline that hasn't been visited by cruise ships since the 1980s. The area includes filming locations used in the original Jurassic Park and Puerto Plata, a historic town visited by Christopher Columbus that was recently named Travel+Leisure magazine's "Best Places to Travel in 2015."
Six of Carnival Corporation’s nine brands will call on Amber Cove. The port will open with a visit from Carnival Victory on October 6, 2015. Additional ships will bring 155,000 guests to the port between October 2015 and April 2016. These include 57 calls by 13 different ships representing six company brands. These include Carnival Cruise Line’s Fantasy, Splendor, Valor, Sunshine, Conquest and Breeze and Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam.
The facility will feature a two-berth port able to accommodate the largest cruise vessels currently in operation and is expected to create 430 local jobs, Carnival Corporation said in a press release. Carnival also said it has been monitoring the port's construction progress with the use of drones, a company first.
“The construction of the cruise port at Amber Cove has been an incredible project for our entire country, as well as the Caribbean region as a whole,” said Francisco Javier, tourism director of the Dominican Republic. “Carnival Corporation’s investment in Amber Cove has already proven beneficial to the economy, and we expect the investment to have a positive long-lasting economic impact. The new port will also give cruise passengers an opportunity to see another part of the Dominican Republic, our Amber Coast, which hasn’t been available as part of cruise itineraries in nearly 30 years. This is a very exciting development.”
The new port will host one of the most extensive shore excursion programs available in the Caribbean, offering roughly 40 different landside experiences including beaches, water sports and special culinary, cultural and adventure options. Many of these excursion offerings will come from well-established local operators. Nearby Ocean World, one of the region’s largest marine adventure parks, offers guests popular ways to experience and interact with a variety of marine animals.
